“I can do so many things that a 30-something-year-old Black dude is not supposed to be able to do,” he says before listing snowboarding, gold panning, and baking cornbread in the mountains. Having lived in L.A. since 2021, he also marvels at the legalization of psilocybin, which follows the 2014 legalization of recreational cannabis.

“What could go wrong in a state with this many bears and abandoned mines?” he asks. “Colorado’s like if your cool uncle was a state. … They should change (the state motto) to ‘Colorado: Don’t tell your parents we’ll let you do this (stuff).”

Walker is also one of a handful of Coloradans who knows what it’s like to hide backstage at an Academy Awards telecast. His boss, the Emmy-winning namesake of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” happened to be the host, and Walker and his colleagues penned the jokes Kimmel read off the teleprompter for an audience of nearly 20 million U.S. viewers.

“It’s this opportunity that came through Jimmy, who basically just uses our staff for it,” Walker said of the 2023 and 2024 ceremonies, at which he posed for red-carpet photos in his tuxedo along with the rest of Kimmel’s writer’s room. Kimmel and his staff would later get nominated for Emmys for both the 2023 telecast and the nightly talk show they produced.

“What’s grounding you is that it feels like an away game for a team, where you go on the road together,” Walker added. “You work together every day at your home field, so you only really clock how surreal it is as the show gets closer.”

Kimmel turned down the hosting gig for 2025, citing his busy schedule. And at the Sunday, March 15, telecast of the 98th Academy Awards (5 p.m. on ABC and Hulu), fellow talk-show veteran and comedian Conan O’Brien will host. (“We’ll be cheering him on,” Walker said.)

But even as Kimmel has become a lightning rod and free-speech advocate with President Trump, fighting censorship and pushing back against calls for his ouster, Walker has remained firmly in his employ. (He declined to talk about the controversies of Kimmel versus Trump, preferring not to speak for his boss or colleagues.)

Now Walker’s adding a new credit to his already Emmy-nominated résumé with on . He recorded it in 2024 at Denver’s nationally acclaimed Comedy Works — which Walker and many other comics consider to be the best stand-up club in the U.S. — but it sounds as fresh as one of Kimmel’s nightly monologues.

Walker, a South High School graduate, began performing comedy two decades ago in Denver, quickly moving up the ladder in the alternative and mainstream scenes with his savvy, profane and charming routines that profanely poked fun at his dating habits, among other topics. He gained loyal fans in cool-kid scenes, but also dominated “A-rooms,” as they’re called, including Comedy Works.

He continues to perform locally from time to time and support the scene, most recently having returned for the annual . It just happens to feel weird that he’s become one of comedy’s elder statesmen.

“It’s nice to see all the green shoots and new growth, but I’m a very sentimental person and I’m tremendously nostalgic for the old days,” he said. “Things are going well in Denver, but we used to not even think about being on TV or winning awards. It was about getting good. New York and L.A. felt so far away they might as well have been Narnia.”

Denver’s scrappiness and relative isolation prepared Walker for the highly competitive stand-up scene in L.A., where hundreds of comics weekly jockey for the same stage time. After Walker moved to L.A., he was encouraged to submit a packet of his work to Kimmel’s show after buddy Bryan Cook, a staff writer there, alerted him to an opening.

“In Colorado and the West, you have to develop material that will work in hipster warehouses and ski resorts and Wyoming biker bars, so that makes you nationally competent,” he said. “Not all scenes are like that.”

That helped him win the job on a show that requires new, topical jokes nearly every day of the year. It’s a sprint that adds up to a series of marathons, he said. But he’s suited to the pace, feels a strong camaraderie with his co-writers, and can produce jokes faster than ever now.

“It helps that creative part of things to not feel like you’re writing at gunpoint,” he said. “Like I said, it’s a team effort, and we all want to do well.”

The punchlines of his first-ever stand-up album, “Esquire,” bear Walker’s honed humor and performance style. He’s conversational with a touch of bemusement, apoplexy and intellect, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows him. Walker holds a law degree from the University of Denver’s Sturm College, and worked at a bank when he moved to L.A.

So how does that inform “Esquire” jokes about racist magicians (“Ku Klux Kadabra”) and porn plotlines, old-school drink names and dating rules, or culture shock in Paris? Walker sees a direct line from those to his early days performing at dive bars on East Colfax Avenue — specifically, the scrappy comedy nights at the Squire Lounge, where Denver’s alt-comedy scene came into its own in the late 2000s.

“It sounds cheesy, but sometimes at the Emmys or an Oscar party or something, I’ll think about how crazy it is that I find myself here because I used to go hang and perform at the Squire,” he said. “The grossest, (crappiest) dive bar on the worst street in Denver, Colorado. I’m so grateful for it. But it’s still pretty wild.”

Sunday. Rocking the mic this weekend: “The Simpsons” actor and Hollywood ringer Hank Azaria, whose chameleonic voice and snappy delivery make him a joy to watch on stage. This time, however, the six-time Emmy winner isn’t bringing a comedy set but rather a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, along with Azaria’s EZ Street Band. Approved by The Boss himself, the live-music and storytelling show finds Azaria slipping into his best Springsteen guise for a night of gruff tales and greatest hits.

Springsteen super-fan Azaria headlines the Wheeler Opera House, 320 E. Hyman Ave. in Aspen, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28. Tickets are $45-$90. Call or visit for more information.

Nutcracker and jazz

Friday-Sunday. Holiday shows, as you may have noticed, tend to stay fresh through New Year’s Day, even after Christmas has passed. That makes this weekend your best chance to catch “The 5 Points Nutcracker,” a reimagined take that injects jazz and local history into the classic tale, given the Five Points neighborhood’s celebrated past as the Harlem of the West. Or, as organizers put it: “Let the jazz carry you. Let the lights move you. Let the spirit of Five Points remind you that history, when danced and sung, can become a gift.”

The music-driven show with a six-piece band is produced by LunAseas, with direction by Larea Edwards and musical direction by Tenia Nelson. The show runs for various performances from Friday, Dec. 26, to Sunday, Dec. 28, at The Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St. in Denver. Call 303-476-5902 or visit for tickets and for more information.

Comedy superpowers

Friday-Saturday. Denver comedy fans are well served this weekend with headlining sets from hometown hero Josh Blue, a stand-up crusher who’s been showing comics how it’s done since grabbing national attention in 2006 with his hilariously deft, self-effacing routines. He leads the bill at Comedy Works Downtown with 6 and 8:15 p.m. shows on Friday, Dec. 26, and an 8:45 p.m. set on Saturday, Dec. 27. (Note: hyper-sensitive ears need not apply.)

Tickets for the show at 1225 15th St. in downtown Denver are $30-$35 and are 21-and-up only, via . Call 303-595-3637 for more information.

Affordable live music

Sunday. You don’t have to wait until Dec. 31 to ring in the New Year. Downtown Denver jazz club Dazzle is hosting a Sunday, Dec. 28, “Ring in the New Year” concert at 6 p.m. with tickets running $18 to $30 — by any standard, an affordable live-music experience compared to most.

The always-nimble Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra Quintet, with vocalist Hannah Rodriquez and artistic direction by Drew Zaremba, will belt out “a festive night filled with timeless jazz standards and seasonal favorites.” The show is part of the larger fourth-Sunday Night Sessions with CJRO at Dazzle, which takes place every month and features rotating artists and themes. Shows take place at Dazzle, located within the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 1080 14th St. in Denver. Call the box office at 303-839-5100 or visit for more.

But within those confines are wildly divergent experiences for rock stars, drag queens, comics, authors and other stage performers at the area’s best indoor and outdoor venues.

At the Hi-Dive, layers of graffiti and spare, ratty furniture give the South Broadway club a punk-rock authenticity and sense of history. By contrast, Red Rocks Amphitheatre’s green rooms offer sprawling hangout spaces for world-famous artists, with on-site catering and accommodations for both bands and their crews (or fans, as the case may be after shows), as well as unique natural sandstone formations.

New spots try to shake off their paint and construction dust by starting traditions. That often includes signing autographs on a wall to mark an artist’s visit, as Dazzle jazz club has been doing since it reopened in a custom space at the Denver Performing Arts Complex last year.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, only a few them actually have green walls — and those tend to be the less rock-ready spaces. Think the Tattered Cover on East Colfax Avenue, with its calming, low-light green room for touring authors about to read from their work. At Comedy Works downtown, local and national stand-ups, including Dave Chappelle and Sarah Silverman, mingle before shows and mentally work their routines. But those are color-coded exceptions.

David Weingarden of Z2 Entertainment, which books Chautauqua Auditorium, 10 Mile Music Hall and other venues, prides himself on his company’s upgraded and well-maintained green rooms, as has long been the case at the gorgeous Boulder Theater and modest but powerful Fox Theatre, as well as Fort Collins’ busy Aggie Theatre (which just received its own upgrade).

Perks often lead to positive press: When mega-comic Bret Kreischer visited Loveland’s Blue FCU Arena in February, he was treated to a golf simulator and whiskey tasting, which Kreischer praised on his social media accounts.

We surveyed metro area venues to get a sense of what Denver looks like from the inside — when artists have only a few hours in town, and their main impression of the Mile High City is a windowless room, however well appointed. Here are just a few.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Simply playing the venue is a career-high achievement for many artists, and the backstage experience is similarly epic. Side-stage “barn doors,” carefully guarded, lead to underground tunnels that break off into green rooms, a dining room (complete with rolling popcorn machine and snow cone dispenser), and other spaces.

Water seeps through rocks in the largest green room into a tiny gutter, which can create surprising tableaus. When Macklemore and Ryan Lewis headlined a Winter on the Rocks event there, all they cared about was getting their picture taken next to it, said venue manager Tad Bowman.

“The water had seeped in and it turned into this frozen waterfall, and it was beautiful,” Bowman said. ” I remember them saying ‘We’ll never play anywhere else where there’s a frozen waterfall in our dressing room! ‘ ”

When James Taylor visits, he’s known to hang out in the egalitarian dining room where crews and local stagehands also eat from a small catering kitchen. It’s a safe, subterranean space.

Paramount Theatre

This 94-year-old gem in downtown Denver has a well-preserved, Art Deco look that contrasts with its utilitarian backstage. However, up the stairs and through a narrow hallway, the green rooms are comfy havens that can also be easily reached through the alley (where most performers enter, and fans wait after shows) while crews load in.

They’ve been recently updated, according to Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which owns and operates the venue. Wall-mounted film reels that mark its history as a classic movie house are joined by modernist fixtures, deep blue walls and perks like a Pop-A-Shot machine.

That contrasts with other KSE venues, such as Ball Arena, which feature handsome but generic dressing rooms that cater to both sports-league and artist needs, from the Denver Nuggets to the Eagles and Bad Bunny, with puffy couches, a bar and a wall-sized photo of downtown Denver’s 16th Street Mall.

Fillmore Auditorium

The Fillmore’s green rooms are beautifully moody and old-school, with the feeling of cloistered backstage space — or, in this case, under-stage space.

The Capitol Hill venue has a long history, formerly as Mammoth Events Center and as a skating rink that took advantage of the building’s wide, wooden floors. Major refreshes over the last decade have brought more bathrooms and slicker styles to the green rooms, which general manager Joe Petrie was proud to show off recently to a Denver Post photographer.

In its warm and womb-like design, the red walls, murals, chandeliers and stuffed couches are joined by a wall with the names of past performers, ranging from Bob Dylan to Ms. Lauren Hill, Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff and Troye Sivan. Any recent visitors have also had access to backstage table tennis and pinball to pass the time.

Sunset Amphitheater

Colorado Springs’ newest, biggest concert venue is set to debut Aug. 9-11 with shows from Colorado’s own OneRepublic. But owner JW Roth said his upscale dressing rooms will go beyond the usual perks.

“We’re calling it an artist compound,” he said. “They’re broken out individual rooms with showers, there’s a beautiful kitchen, outdoor patio with grills and flattops, and they can order off the menu at our seafood restaurant and chophouse — which isn’t open just yet.”

Views make a difference: As with the main venue, the green rooms include outdoor spaces that look upon Pikes Peak and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Artists tend to remember that, Roth said, and it helps to lure them back for more shows.

Ogden Theatre

As one of Denver’s most revered theaters, the 1,600-capacity Ogden Theatre has welcomed thousands of touring acts, locals, famous actors and directors into a backstage space that, until recently, needed more than a little love and care.

Now, brick walls, rugs and a classic Galaga cabinet, as well as a flatscreen TV, immediately jump out, as do the handsomely askew lampshades that seem to be a signature of any green room. It was recently renovated to account for a boiler that loomed over the room, owner Doug Kauffman has said, and is in its best shape yet.

Herman’s Hideaway

This legendary South Broadway venue has changed hands a couple of times since the pandemic, but also enjoyed major upgrades to lighting, sound and other necessary features. That includes a trio of brand new green rooms, which owner Mike Roth is happy to crow about.

“We moved them from the nasty dungeon-basement to upstairs,” he said. “Only two bands could really fit down there, but now we have three rooms and two bathrooms, which cost probably as much as the new sound system.”

Indeed, Herman’s green rooms are tidy and cozy, with soft couches, refrigerators, coffee and tea machines, flatscreen TVs and even a safe for valuables. And, hey — actual green walls!

Mission Ballroom

One of the country’s most technologically advanced venues also boasts one of its best green-room setups.

Opened in 2019, the AEG Presents-owned, RiNo-located venue is an artist’s dream with state-of-the-art dressing rooms that include TVs, record players and curated LPs (courtesy of nearby vinyl manufacturers Vinyl Me, Please), navy blue walls, natural wood, pop-art paintings, mid-mod fixtures, and mirrors with lighted strips on either side. It’s a hip addition to a hip neighborhood, and one that may herald more sponsorships and brand placements in green rooms.

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Swardson had only performed for about 20 minutes when he was led off-stage Sunday at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. Videos posted on audience members booing the comedian, who’s known for his characters in Adam Sandler movies, as well as appearances in “Reno 911!” and various Comedy Central projects.

The abrupt ending followed awkward pauses, semi-coherent statements and bickering with audience members.

In a Monday morning statement, Swardson, 47, blamed alcohol use and cannabis edibles for his behavior. “Just casually woke up on TMZ,” . “Travel tip: don’t drink and take edibles in high altitude. (Expletive) brain diarrhea. I’ll make it up to you Beaver Creek!”

Witnesses said that while some attendees “were uncomfortable with Swardson’s behavior, others cheered him on,” . “In one clip that has since surfaced online, a woman in the audience can be heard heckling him, asking: ‘What’d you smoke before the show?’ ”

The venue’s director of operations, according to videos, told the theater: “We’ve decided to conclude the show early in the best interest of those who bought tickets. We apologize for what you’ve seen tonight. Please email the box office. We’ll be responding to inquiries and processing credits and refunds.”

“We apologize for the negative experience you may have had at this evening’s performance with Nick Swardson,” promoters then wrote in an email to ticketholders. “Unfortunately, this show did not meet the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s standards as a world-class presenter of the performing arts.”

“Therefore, all tickets will be refunded to the original payment method. Please accept our sincere apologies, and be in touch if there is anything we can do to further assist you.”

Despite the kerfuffle, Swardson is set to headline Aspen’s Belly Up tonight. As of Tuesday morning for the 6 p.m., 18-and-up performance. Representatives of the venue did not immediately respond to requests to confirm the show.

Swardson is also scheduled at Comedy Works South in Greenwood Village, followed by Comedy Works downtown, Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10. Most of the 21-and-up shows are sold out, and all are going forward as of Tuesday morning, a Comedy Works representative told The Denver Post.

This is a breaking story that will be updated.

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Saturday. We’re only a week into spring, but the Boulder County Farmers Market is already back for the season, starting Saturday, April 1. This is one of the busiest and most recognized farmers markets on the Front Range, mixing dozens of longtime producers with new food businesses and rotating seasonal vendors, live music, kids crafts and product sampling.

The market runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at 13th Street and Canyon Boulevard in Boulder; the Longmont version of the market also returns the Boulder County Fairgrounds at 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont. The Wednesday market returns in May. Get information at . — Jonathan Shikes

The Queen of Tejano Music

Saturday. Tireless Colorado Symphony resident-conductor Christopher Dragon this weekend will head up an homage to late, undisputed queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla (or just Selena, as fans know) at the rescheduled “The Music of Selena” concert.

Dragon will lead the full orchestra, with vocals by soloist Isabel Sánchez, through a selection of Selena’s influential, chart-pioneering music as well as covers. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th St. in Denver. Tickets: $15-$98 via 303-623-7876 or — John Wenzel

Russell Square’s free family fun

Saturday. There really is such a thing as a free lunch: The first 200 people to show up to the “grand re-opening” of Russell Square Park in Denver’s Cole neighborhood on Saturday will get a free hot dog lunch, according to Denver Parks & Recreation.

The $1.25 million improvement project, which is being unveiled by Parks & Rec and partners My Outdoor Colorado and Great Outdoors Colorado, includes “an expanded nature-based playground, a small water feature, picnic area updates, an outdoor classroom amphitheater, and a multi-use court,” organizers said.

The celebration is free and open to the public and will feature a ribbon cutting, speakers, an Easter egg hunt, giveaways and games. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at Russell Square Park, 3600 Vine Street. Free and all-ages. — John Wenzel

Much-needed laughs, songs

Thursday-April 8. Slow news days don’t really exist anymore, and the stories we are hearing aren’t exactly improving our mental health. Comedy and music have always been there to soothe and challenge us, poking holes in our anxieties and reminding audiences that we have more in common than we may think.

This week’s bounty includes hilarious Denver favorite and trailblazing LGBTQ comic Cameron Esposito, who performs at downtown’s Comedy Works from Thursday, April 6 through Saturday, April 8. Various times at 1226 15th St. Tickets: $25-$30. 303-595-3637 or

Also uplifting: Denver Gay Men’s Chorus will this weekend become one of the first three choruses in the nation to present “Disney PRIDE in Concert,” featuring music from classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Mary Poppins,” “Coco” and more backed by a 25-piece orchestra and “choreography and visuals using assets from Disney’s films and archives,” according to a press statement.

Shows run at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31, and 3 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver. All ages. Tickets: $25-$90 via — John Wenzel

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Thursday. Erie’s Hex Publishers has been responsible for some of Colorado’s most surprising and acclaimed genre fiction over the past eight years, from surveys of cyberpunk and horror to poetry, graphic novels and lushly illustrated children’s books.

On Thursday, Jan. 19, Hex founder and editor Joshua Viola is holding an umbrella event at the Tattered Cover’s Colfax Avenue location to celebrate the publication of six Hex books — including its Colorado Book Award-winning “Shadow Atlas.” The event features giveaways of free books, CD soundtracks, stickers and more. Those 21-and-up can also head next door to the Sie FilmCenter afterward for a “private” mixer that includes one free drink.

Hosted by USA Today bestseller Carter Wilson, the event includes authors and artists Mario Acevedo, Carina Bissett, Hillary Dodge, Sean Eads, Warren Hammond, Angie Hodapp, Nicholas Karpuk, Aaron Lovett, Jeanne C. Stein and founder Viola. 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Tattered Cover Colfax Avenue, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. Free, with no registration required. Call 303-322-7727 or visit or for more.

Celebrating MLK’s legacy at Redline

Monday. Speaking of free events: RSVP now for RedLine Contemporary Art Center’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day event on Monday, Jan. 16. From 4 to 6 p.m., Redline will host a community panel called “Mile 18: One Year Later …  A Conversation on the Labor & Love of Belonging,” led by award-winning choreographer Helanius J. Wilkins. Wilkins walks up to 16 miles per day as part of a multi-year project about racial and social justice.

Notably, the event will feature a conversation with civil rights legend John B. Smith, who knew Dr. King personally. The free, in-person event will also be live-streamed on RedLine’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. 2350 Arapahoe St. in Denver. 303-296-4448 or visit for more.

Beth Stelling at Comedy Works

Through Saturday. Few comics have so masterfully toed the line between acerbic and sweet the way Beth Stelling has. The Dayton, Ohio, native has proven her chops over the past few years by writing for and appearing on HBO shows such as “Crashing,” and releasing specials on HBO Max and Netflix (the latter a half-hour dispatch as part of “The Standups” series).

But Stelling, who began winning over Denver audiences as part of the High Plains Comedy Festival, shines brightest on stage as she winds her way through bumper stickers, bad relationships and — and favorite subject — her doting Midwestern mom. She plays multiple shows Thursday, Jan. 12, through Saturday, Jan. 14, at Comedy Works downtown, 1226 15th St. in Denver. Tickets: $30, 21-and-up.

“Jazz is Dead” rises at the Paramount

Sunday. Jazz is chief among the musical genres that have been repeatedly declared dead over the decades, always mutating and reforming and reaching into endless relevant forms that reinforce it as one of America’s preeminent art forms.

That evolution will be clear on Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Paramount Theatre as the Jazz is Dead band reinterprets the music of the Grateful Dead through (you guessed it) a jazz-fusion perspective. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the all-star group features co-founder Alphonso Johnson along with instrumental royalty Steve Kimock, Pete Lavezzoli and Bobby Lee Rodgers, performing the Dead’s “Wake of The Flood” (itself marking a 50th anniversary). Notably, Johnson and Kimock played in the post-Garcia Dead offshoot The Other Ones with Bob Weir.

Concert at 7:30 p.m. at 1621 Glenarm Place in downtown Denver. Tickets: $25-$75 via

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On Tuesday, the club announced it would host the national kick-off for Sarah Silverman’s latest comedy tour, “Grow Some Lips!,” with four performances on Jan. 20 and 21. The tour is playing much bigger venues in subsequent cities, including the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta Symphony Hall; the Chicago Theatre, Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Tickets, $50 apiece, are on sale to the public starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 9. All four shows — at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, and Saturday, Jan 21 — will take place at Comedy Works’ Larimer Square location, 1226 15th St. in Denver.

Silverman follows Chappelle but also comic Ali Wong, another acclaimed stand-up who has regularly headlined theaters around the country, in playing Comedy Works’ modest stage. Comedy Works owner Wende Curtis has long cultivated close relationships with mega-comics, including Chappelle, the late Joan Rivers and George Lopez, and her club enjoys a sterling reputation in the industry.

“I prefer an intimate crowd,” Silverman told The Denver Post in 2014, shortly before playing Red Rocks Amphitheatre as part of the Oddball Comedy Tour.

Silverman, the Emmy-winning veteran of TV shows such as “Crashing,” “Masters of Sex,” “Mr. Show with Bob & David” and her own “Sarah Silverman Program,” has lately been taking on her former, loose-lipped persona that tried to dismantle taboos about race, sex and other topics with self-consciously shocking language.

An avowed liberal, she has also expressed alarm at online cancel culture, as she called it, while trying to “make right” past offenses such as on her Comedy Central series.

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Chappelle, who has sold out Red Rocks Amphitheatre for his birthday shows in the past, visits Denver on and off to play surprise shows at Comedy Works — which also instantly sell out. He came up playing the roughly intimate club and has a friendship with owner Wende Curtis, he has said.

That’s why he likes to choose such a tiny venue in relation to his audience draw, working out new material in the same way that big comics often visit New York’s Comedy Cellar. It’s also why he often only gives fans a few minutes’ notice before they need to buy tickets.

RELATED: Denver 2022 comedy guide: From Amy Schumer to John Mulaney, the best stand-up at Red Rocks, clubs and more

Ticket prices for the pair of shows — at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday — were likely commensurate with Chapelle’s stature ($156 each during the last around, and available first to Comedy Works subscribers). They went on sale at 10 a.m. today (Monday, Oct. 10), , and sold out in less than an hour. Prices were not immediate available.

As with past shows, Chappelle is asking patrons to leave their cell phones at home. He has been instrumental in testing the Yondr technology, which puts audience members’ cell phones in magnetically locked bags until the show has concluded. Other comics, such as Chris Rock, have gone on to use it at much larger Denver stand-up shows, including at Bellco Theatre.

“Please leave your phones in your cars or at home,” Comedy Works officials wrote. “Everyone is subject to a pat down. Anyone caught with a cell phone inside the venue will be immediately ejected and no refund given.”

RELATED: Denver’s desperately needed 2022 comedy revival is here, and not a moment too soon

Chappelle’s jokes have sparked controversy in recent years as he’s repeatedly hammered home , mocking the fundamental notion that gender is fluid. He was tackled during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Security guards chased and overpowered the attacker, and Chappelle was able to continue his performance while the man was taken away in an ambulance, according to the Associated Press.

Employees of Netflix, which regularly airs his new specials,  of his views in October. In February, Chappelle announced that his classic sketch series, “Chappelle’s Show,” would return to Netflix after Comedy Central . Netflix then said it would release this year executive produced and hosted by Chappelle.

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Chappelle, who has sold out Red Rocks Amphitheatre for his birthday shows in the past, visits Denver on and off to play surprise shows at Comedy Works — which also instantly sell out. He came up playing the roughly 300-seat club and has a friendship with owner Wende Curtis, he has said. That’s why he likes to choose such a tiny venue in relation to his audience draw, working out new material in the same way that big comics often visit New York’s Comedy Cellar.

RELATED: Denver 2022 comedy guide: From Amy Schumer to John Mulaney, the best stand-up at Red Rocks, clubs and more

Ticket prices are commensurate with Chapelle’s stature: $156 each, and available first to Comedy Works subscribers. They went on sale at 10:30 a.m. Monday, , and sold out in less than an hour.

As with past shows, Chappelle is asking patrons to leave their cell phones at home. He has been instrumental in testing the Yondr technology, which puts patrons’ cell phones in magnetically locked bags until the show has concluded. Other comics, such as Chris Rock, have gone on to use it at much larger Denver stand-up shows, including at Bellco Theatre.

“Please leave your phones in your cars or at home,” Comedy Works officials wrote. “Everyone is subject to a pat down. Anyone caught with a cell phone inside the venue will be immediately ejected and no refund given.”

RELATED: Denver’s desperately needed 2022 comedy revival is here, and not a moment too soon

Chappelle’s jokes have sparked controversy in recent years as he’s repeatedly hammered home , mocking the fundamental notion that gender is fluid.

Employees of Netflix, which regularly airs his new specials,  of his views in October. In February, Chappelle announced that his classic sketch series, “Chappelle’s Show,” would return to Netflix after Comedy Central . Netflix then said it would release this year executive produced and hosted by Chappelle.

Chappelle also gained attention last month for supposedly trying to block an affordable housing project in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he’s become a local celebrity and investor. However, he reportedly in a statement via his spokesperson, arguing that, “Chappelle didn’t kill affordable housing. Concerned residents and a responding Village Council ‘killed’ a half-baked plan which never actually offered affordable housing.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.

“I kind of stopped doing that, though,” Burris said with a laugh over tea and snacks at Denver’s Kochi cafe on Tuesday. “Now, or at least before the pandemic, I’ve gotten to the point in my (career) that I can tell people the truth and still get jobs.”

RELATED: Denver 2022 comedy guide: From Amy Schumer to John Mulaney, the best stand-up at Red Rocks, clubs and more

As an actress and nationally touring comic, Burris is in league with Colorado comedy-boosters who see a big comeback for 2022. Their optimism springs from dozens of refreshed bookings in Colorado’s stand-up scene, from big names headlining Red Rocks to club sets at the Denver Improv and Comedy Works, but also local festivals and showcases.

That comeback includes Burris. After years of hosting and appearing on local TV shows (including, full disclosure, The Denver Post’s former “Cannabist” show) and for Denver comedy titans such as Josh Blue, she’s finally getting around to recording her first comedy special, “Long Overdue,” at the Aurora Fox Arts Center on April 16.

Notably, she’s doing it about two weeks before her pregnancy due date, with the intention of burning old material before her expected, extended break. Like Ali Wong, the who has recorded two specials while pregnant, Burris has consistently told jokes and appeared during her pregnancy (she’s currently at the Aurora Fox as the title character in “Hurricane Diane”), challenging traditional notions of what a working comic and actor looks like.

“I feel like I’m trying to squeeze it all in,” she said. “Apparently you can get pregnant at 42! How weird.”

Other comics are making up for lost time by rushing to secure shows and apply to festivals, even as a lack of staffing keeps schedules less-than-full at some local music and comedy venues. Missing servers, bartenders, board-runners and more mean that sold-out runs from comics like Marc Maron, the agreeably cranky host of the “WTF” podcast who visited Comedy Works last year, aren’t quite the norm yet.

“It’s still not back yet to pre-COVID numbers,” said Wende Curtis, owner of Denver’s nationally renowned Comedy Works clubs (she also happens to have thrown a baby shower for Burris over the weekend). “We’re still recovering, but podcasts and specials continued to happen during the pandemic, so you’ve got a lot of (formerly smaller) acts jumping from clubs to bigger concerts. That leaves holes, but also opportunities for younger comics.”

Those holes are apparent at venues like Englewood’s Gothic Theatre, a favorite of stand-ups (and album tapings) that, despite its packed music calendar, features virtually no comedy as of this writing (unless you consider political commentator Dave Rubin to be a stand-up; he visits May 18).

Nontraditional comedy rarely has trouble fitting in, however, at least in Denver. Storytelling shows such as “Mortified Live!” (April 21) at the frequently 18-and-up Oriental Theater sit alongside favorites there like Lucha Libre & Laughs (wrestling and stand-up; April 24), touring stand-ups (Nick Colletti, April 29) and drag-queens extraordinaire (“RuPaul’s Drag Race” vet Adore Delano, Feb. 9, 2023).

Curtis, who owns and operates both the downtown club and Comedy Works South in Greenwood Village, is also happy to see upstarts like Fort Collins’ Comedy Fort flourish in recent months — the latter having bravely opened in the middle of the pandemic — as well as the return of Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival (Sept. 8-10), Trinidad’s Chief Bicycle & Comedy Festival (May 5-6), and The Grawlix showcase (the last Saturday of every month at the Bug Theatre).

Some of Curtis’ club-owning peers, whom she confabs with at events such as Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival, have questioned her for supporting smaller, seemingly competitive shows in Denver. Comics work for years to get a brief opening spot on her prestigious stage, they remind her.

But Curtis’ blessing for and occasional sponsorship of independent events has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of Denver’s comedy scene. The DIY scene, evidenced at bars, open-mics and festivals, has also compelled comics who can’t find stages in other cities to move to Denver and contribute to our growing renown.

“Denver definitely came back faster and better than L.A.,” said Burris, a California native who has opened for names such as SNL “Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che and Roy Wood Jr. “I was doing beach shows out (in L.A.) and not getting paid. In Denver, I got promoted at Comedy Works. Josh Blue is executive producing my special. I’m getting paid! … It’s always been my dream to build a community like this, where they recommend me and call me up when there are jobs.”

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